1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a flashlight device, and more particularly, to a flashlight that includes a viewing aperture centrally and longitudinally disposed through a handheld flashlight to allow a user to hold a back end of the flashlight proximate to the user's eye, while the front end of the flashlight illuminates a relatively confined area that cannot otherwise be viewed by the user due to the flashlight obstructing the user's line of sight of the confined area.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Inspectors or repair personnel investigating a water supply valve in a “Buffalo Box” that supplies water below ground, stand at ground level and look down a vertically orientated, above ground pipe or conduit that is connected to the Buffalo Box, and view the water valve by directing a beam of light from a typical flashlight down the conduit and into the Buffalo Box. If the conduit is relatively small in diameter, viewing the valve may be difficult or impossible because the flashlight obstructs the view of the user into the conduit. A myriad of other examples can be envisioned where a person needs to look through a relatively small aperture, including but not limited to a crack in a wall to view a pipe or electrical wiring, a vent covering ductwork, access passageways in home appliances such as washer, dryers, refrigerators and dishwashers.
There is a need for a hand held flashlight with a viewing aperture that extends through the entire flashlight in line with direction light emits from the flashlight to allow a person to look through the flashlight and observe an object illuminated by the emitted light. But for the viewing aperture, the person would not be able to see the illuminated object because the flashlight would be disposed between the eye of the user and the object, thereby obstructing the user's view of the object.